The annual Paul D. Merrill Business Ethics Lecture honors the late Paul D. (P.D.) Merrill, Portland-area business leader and long-time UNE trustee, supporter and friend. The lecture series, sponsored by the Department of Business, creates an opportunity for future business leaders from UNE and the broader community to learn about and reflect upon the important role that ethical considerations play in our daily choices, and the impact these choices have on our communities. As president of Hancock Lumber Company, Kevin Hancock leads a sixth-generation family business that has operated since 1848. Headquartered in Casco, Maine, the company has 10 retail stores and three sawmills, and employs 425 people. The company also owns and manages 12,000 acres of timberland in Cumberland and Oxford counties. In 2014, Timber Processing Magazine recognized Kevin as its forest products industry “Person of the Year.” He is past chairman of the Northeast Retail Lumber Association, the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and the Bridgton Academy Board of Trustees. Under his leadership, Hancock Lumber has been recognized as the Maine International Trade Center’s Exporter of the Year and the Maine Family Business of the Year. Additionally, the company received the Governor’s Award for Business Excellence and most recently became a 2014 “Best Places to Work” recipient. A graduate of Lake Region High School and Bowdoin College, Kevin travels often to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where he has connected with residents and key organizations. Kevin has created a nonprofit called “The Seventh Power” to support initiatives on the reservation and is currently writing a book, titled Not For Sale: Finding Myself in the Land of Crazy Horse, about the history and modern day life of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

• published: 29 Mar 2015
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